Native
Common names: cherry fruit worm
Synonyms: pyricolana (Steganoptycha)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 3.5-5.0 mm
Adults range in color from light to dark. Light individuals have silvery striae and darker contrasting fasciaefascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
while dark individuals lack a well-defined forewing pattern. Males lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
, but have a conspicuous patch of dark sex scales on the dorsaldorsal:
upper, to the top, on the back 
surface of the hindwing.
Male genitalia are characterized by absence of an uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
and the unconstricted valval neck, which is nearly as wide as the cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by a triangular ostiumostium:
see ostium bursae 
and two long, thorn-like signasignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338..
Mature larva approximately 8-9 mm in length; width of head 0.7-0.8 mm; head yellowish brown with darker mottling; prothoracic and anal shields brown; body pale reddish abdomen with moderately large pinaculapinaculum:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
; anal fork present with 4-6 teeth; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 numbering 3:3:2:2:1 or 3:3:2:2:2.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338..
Dark individuals may appear similar to Aspila molesta, but are generally much smaller. In western North America, Aspila libertina is similar in appearance to dark A. packardi in both forewing pattern and male genitalia, but A. libertina males lack a patch of dark sex scales on the hindwing.
Larvae may appear similar to those of many other species of Aspila, Grapholita and Cydia. Cydia pomonella larvae can be separated from A. packardi by the absence of an anal fork and their larger size. Larvae of A. molesta are similar but generally larger. Larvae of A. packardi and A. prunivora are very similar, although the pinaculapinaculum:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae on the 8th and 9th abdominal segment are more prominent in A. packardi, and the abdomen of A. prunivora is more reddish, especially in preserved specimens.
The following account is summarized from Weires & Riedel (1991).
Aspila packardi completes 2-3 generations per year. Over most of its range, adults are present from May to September.
Females lay eggs singly on terminal shoot leaves. Larvae feed inside the shoots or fruit; Chapman & Lienk (1971) found considerable variation in feeding records suggesting that larvae behave differently on different hosts or that a species complex is involved. Overwintering occurs on the host in a cocoon and pupation occurs the following spring.
Larval damage is characterized by injured fruit, early fruit drop, and/or stunted or dead shoots.
Larvae of A. packardi feed on many common fruit crops in the families Rosaceae and Ericaceae. It is possible that hawthorn (Crataegus) is the native host.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Vaccinium sp. | Ericaceae | Tomlinson 1951Tomlinson 1951: Tomlinson, W. E. 1951. Control of insect larvae infesting immature blueberry fruit. Journal of Economic Entomology. 44: 247-250.; Vergeer 1954Vergeer 1954: Vergeer, T. 1954. The cherry fruitworm ( Grapholitha packardi ) as a blueberry pest in Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Quarterly Bulletin. 36: 370-373.; Neunzig & Falter 1966 |
| Crataegus sp. | Rosaceae | Heinrich 1926Heinrich 1926: Heinrich, C. 1926. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreutinae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 132: 1-216.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Balduf 1959Balduf 1959: Balduf, W. V. 1959. Obligatory and facultative insects in rose hips: their recognition and bionomics. Illinois Biological Monographs 26: 1-194. |
| Malus pumila | Rosaceae | Richardson 1944Richardson 1944: Richardson, C. H. 1944. Records of the oriental fruit moth in Iowa, and comments on an apparently new insect pest in Iowa apple orchards. Iowa State Horticultural Society Transactions. 78: 137.; Chapman & Lienk 1971 |
| Malus sp. | Rosaceae | Heinirch 1926 |
| Prunus domestica | Rosaceae | Foster & Jones 1909 |
| Prunus serotina | Rosaceae | Dever 1957Dever 1957: Dever, D. A. 1957. Notes on the biology of the cherry fruit worm in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters Transactions 45: 111-124.; Downes 1929Downes 1929: Downes, W. 1929. The cherry fruit worm ( Grapholita packardi Zell.). British Columbia Entomological Society Proceedings. 26: 34-43. |
| Prunus sp. | Rosaceae | MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338. |
| Pyracantha sp. | Rosaceae | Brown et al. 1983Brown et al. 1983: Brown, R. L., Clarke, J. F. G. Habeck, D. H. 1983. New host records for Olethreutinae (Tortricidae). Journal of the Lepidopteristsrsquo; Society. 37: 224-227. |
| Pyrus communis | Rosaceae | MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Balduf 1959Balduf 1959: Balduf, W. V. 1959. Obligatory and facultative insects in rose hips: their recognition and bionomics. Illinois Biological Monographs 26: 1-194. |
| Rosa sp. | Rosaceae | Heinrich 1926Heinrich 1926: Heinrich, C. 1926. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreutinae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 132: 1-216.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Balduf 1959Balduf 1959: Balduf, W. V. 1959. Obligatory and facultative insects in rose hips: their recognition and bionomics. Illinois Biological Monographs 26: 1-194. |
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Aspila packardi is widely distributed in eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Wisconsin south to Georgia and eastern Texas. It is also present in the Pacific Northwest (Washington and British Columbia) and possibly other fruit-growing regions of the West.
